


lying that you love me

by goducksgo



Series: !magic! [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Albus Severus Potter Feels, Angst, Anxiety, Bisexual Scorpius Malfoy, Boys In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gay Albus Severus Potter, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Scorbus, Slytherin Albus Severus Potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23625856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goducksgo/pseuds/goducksgo
Summary: redamancy (n):the act of loving in return____________________albus kisses scorpius (or did scorpius kiss albus? he wasn't quite sure) one fateful night studying late in the library. he tells himself this won't be the thing that ruins their friendship, but can't help thinking this as he crawls into his four-poster bed that night.(third story in the !magic! series)
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Series: !magic! [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696918
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	lying that you love me

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! i was really hoping to upload this yesterday but here it is (an hour into monday lol)
> 
> though this was written as the "finale" of the two pieces before it - "war of hearts" and "brothers" - it is certainly not the last to be posted in this series !
> 
> i hope you guys enjoy, please heed the tags above before you do!
> 
> (warning: lots of fluff and hurt/comfort in this fic!)
> 
> **may 4th update: rewritten in proper case, some small changes made!

**_Hogwarts, Slytherin Fifth-Year Dormitories_ **

**_05.22.2022_ **

I crept back into bed, trying not to make a single sound. Scorpius was already fast asleep in the bed next to mine, snoring peacefully. I crawled under my duvet and tried to keep my thoughts in check. 

It was rather late, as my _escapade_ to the Gryffindor common room was around one in the morning, and I had spent a rather long time there, with James making sure I was completely okay before sending me back to my dorms. 

I had _way_ too much on my mind to actually fathom the idea of getting a proper night's sleep. 

The kiss. 

The getting caught. 

_The kiss._

It had been innocent, likely regarded by most as nothing more than a peck on the lips, but it had meant something so much more. To be quite honest, I couldn't recall who had initiated it, even. 

Scorpius and I had been trying all night to finish our Potions essays but when it struck ten o'clock we realized we were definitely screwed. It was entirely our own fault anyways, leaving such an important assignment for the night before. But we needed to use the books in the library that "couldn't be borrowed by students under any circumstances" - they were reference materials, and contained detailed information on how to brew some _interesting_ potions, really - so we did what any seasoned procrastination experts would do: we hid inside one of the benches we had discovered was hollow earlier in the school year. 

_"Check this out, Albus! It looks like it can fit two whole people!"_ Scorpius had exclaimed at the time, and that fact was proven true. As Madam Yates did a sweep of the library before locking it for the night, we were quite close to each other in the cramped bench - I was praying Scorpius couldn't hear the rapid beating of my heart while we lay together, shoulders touching and legs intertwined as we breathed heavily against the wood plank above us - and we didn't emerge until we were sure it was safe to do so. 

_"Hey, Albus."_ Scorpius said quietly, breaking the hard-at-work silence between us. 

" _Yeah?"_ I momentarily paused my scribbling on parchment to look up at my best friend, repressing the butterfly feeling in my stomach as I did so. 

_"Do you believe in soulmates?"_ he had asked, a slight quiver in his voice. I vaguely remember tilting my head before responding. 

_"Honestly, I don't know."_ I admitted softly. _"I mean, I don't hate the idea. Like the fact that there might be someone out there that might love me for everything that makes me, me. It's a nice thought."_ I continued. _"But I think that the point of life is to go through let downs sometimes when it comes to romance, and it's not that I don't want a soulmate, I just don't see myself ever getting lucky to find mine. I'm sure as hell don't want to be spending the entirety of my life looking for him."_

_Him._

I felt a pang in my chest as that particular sentence made its way into my recollection. 

I was always _so_ careful, carefully vetting any words that left the tip of my tongue that could in any way _out_ me, and here I was, sleep deprived and working on a last-minute paper - _with the boy of my dreams_ sitting in front of me - letting my deepest, darkest secret make its way out in the open. 

I couldn't exactly place how my best friend had reacted to my particular choice of vocabulary. I just couldn't remember what his face was like. _Was he surprised? Was he mad? Or repulsed?_ I felt the exact same stuttering sensation in my chest that I had experienced only hours ago. 

And just like it had then, that uneasy feeling disappeared when I remembered one of us had leaned in, our faces a fraction of an inch apart, and our lips connected. Moreover, it was nothing more than a simple closed-mouth kiss - I had heard of things _way_ more intense than that in stories from both Teddy and James - but this, to me, was pure bliss. 

And just as fast as that happiness had erupted in my body, it disappeared when Teddy appeared over us, the light from his wand being cast upon us, and suddenly our lips weren't touching anymore. Coherent words failed to leave my mouth as Scorpius grabbed his things and fled the library, my arms hardly doing what I was trying to get them to do as I wanted to do the same, but no, Teddy was there and he had seen the kiss and caught me in the act of breaking the only true, genuine friendship I had here at Hogwarts - 

"Albus?" a well-known voice, so soft spoken it might've gone over my head, startled me. I looked over my shoulder to see the person I was thinking so profoundly about - none other than Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. 

I quickly realized I was crying - _stupid stupid Albus you cry too much you need to stop -_ but it wasn't my hand that wiped them off, it was Scorpius'. His tender hand gently cupped my cheek - I think my heart _literally skipped a beat_ when I felt the contact - and he smiled, almost sadly but not quite. He was concerned. For me. His best friend, who was beating himself up after thinking one kiss would collapse our relationship, who was slightly hyperventilating and feeling every nerve fibre on edge - 

I couldn't help but look into the silver-crested eyes I had fallen in love with all those years ago. 

"You okay?" 

It was probably the most asked question between us two, but this time felt different. 

I nodded, trying to will myself to speak the words I had forbidden myself from _ever_ saying aloud. 

_Stop you can't do this not right now_

_He's just a friend he's just a friend he's just a friend_

"Scorpius, I - " the strangled voice that came out was anything but courageous, but it was there. 

_Maybe what I had convinced myself was so wrong - just wasn't. Maybe I deserved to fall in love with my best friend. Maybe I deserved to say it._

I didn't want to blink, not wanting to tear my vision away from the _perfect_ boy in front of me. 

"I love you."

There wasn't even a beat of silence before I heard it back. 

"I love you too, Albus."

**Author's Note:**

> i. 
> 
> love.
> 
> scorbus. 
> 
> thanks sm for reading, i really fell in love while writing this series and will continue to write more - there is still a lot in the other two previous stories that leave questions unanswered - but until then, i hope you guys liked this "finale", of sorts :)
> 
> if you did, please leave kudos and comments - they make my day shine a bit brighter and you absolutely WILL get an avid reply!
> 
> stay safe you wonderful being !!


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